Maintaining congruity

Some student union leaders told mid-day that their decision to refrain from fielding candidates was not a retreat from the election but rather a continuation of their alliance at the state level. Explaining their stance, Advocate Amol Matele, NCP spokesperson and leader of the Nationalist Student Congress, said, “We have not backed out or anything; we are standing in support of the candidates fielded by Aaditya Thackeray’s Yuva Sena, as we are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state. The Yuva Sena [UBT] candidates will have our full support.”

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Another student leader said, “What’s the point of contesting elections when only 13,000 graduates will be voting? Imagine if even 2-3 per cent of the electorate don’t turn out to vote—what would the voter turnout look like?" Sudhakar Tamboli, MNS secretary and former senate member, confirmed that he had filed his nomination. “It’s true that I am the only MNS candidate who has filed a nomination for the senate elections. I have filed my nomination in the capacity of an MNS office-bearer as well as a former senate member,” he said, declining to comment further on the issue.

The controversy

The MU graduate senate elections have not been without controversy. After significant delays and much anticipation, MU on August 4 announced the schedule for the poll amid chaos and allegations concerning a drastic reduction in the number of registered graduate voters. The new voter registration process saw 26,944 graduates sign up for university graduate seats. However, the final voter list disqualified over 50 per cent of these voters, leaving only 13,406 eligible voters in the graduate constituency. This reduction has sparked concerns and discussions about potential legal action, with some suggesting that voter disqualification could impact the election’s fairness. The election’s outcome is likely to play a crucial role in the larger political landscape.

ABVP candidates
>> Harshad Bhide
>> Pratik Naik
>> Rohan Thackeray
>> Prerit Jaywant
>> Jayesh Shekhawat
>> Rajendra Saigaonkar
>> Nisha Savra
>> Rakesh Bhujbal
>> Ajinkya Jadhav
>> Renuka Thakur 

Yuva Sena candidates
>> Pradeep Sawant
>> Milind Satam
>> Param Yadav
>> Alpesh Bhoir
>> Kisan Sawant
>> Sneha Gawli
>> Sheetal Sheth
>> Mayur Panchal
>> Dhanraj Kohchade
>> Shashikant Zhore